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British Swim School Takes Progressive Approach with ‘Survival of the Littlest’ Program

By: British Swim School |  2 Shares     78 Reads

Making Waves: Intl. Swim School Franchise Seeks Radical Change to U.S. Swim Lessons

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - April 30, 2015 - (BUSINESS WIRE) - It’s high time parents change the way they think about infant and toddler swim lessons, and a rapidly growing international swim school franchise is utilizing National Water Safety Month in May to spread that message.

“To counteract the lack of water safety knowledge, we developed a method where infants as young as three-months-old begin to learn how to flip on their backs in order to survive a water accident. We are teaching survival skills to the littlest.”

As the leading cause of death among children ages 1-4, drowning claims an average of 3,500 lives every year. British Swim School, which pioneered a non-traditional infant water safety program that is being embraced by thousands of parents around the country, has made it a mission to help prevent these tragic deaths with a two-step curriculum that teaches children of all ages water safety and survival skills first, swimming skill development second.

“Infant and toddler swim lessons were established incorrectly originally with a focus on playtime, neglecting to actually teach water survival skills,” said Rita Goldberg, CEO and Founder of British Swim School. “To counteract the lack of water safety knowledge, we developed a method where infants as young as three-months-old begin to learn how to flip on their backs in order to survive a water accident. We are teaching survival skills to the littlest.”

While parental supervision is always the number one safety measure, research shows that participation in formal swim programs such as British Swim School can reduce the risk of drowning by 88 percent among children who are most at risk for deaths caused by drowning. Conducting an average of 250,000 swimming lessons each year, British Swim School reaches more than 7,000 students per week, some as young as three months old.

To accomplish its mission and fill an increasing demand from parents seeking a program that teaches their child to survive a water accident, British Swim School developed a franchise opportunity that is rapidly expanding throughout the country. While other swim concepts require a large expense for pool construction, British Swim School’s business model allows franchisees to lead classes from pools in existing fitness chains and hotels, which drastically decreases the initial investment costs. In the first quarter of this year alone, British Swim School signed five new franchise deals and projects to sign an additional 10-15 deals by year’s end.

British Swim School is the first and largest concept of its kind to have created a unique water safety program with teaching methods that serve as a trademark for the brand alone. The company operates lessons out of multiple national fitness chains and hotel pools year round and, based on the premise that children progress at different rates, does not run on “set courses.” Each child, regardless of age, is placed in their correct skill level and will have certain achievable objectives. The child will be graduated from that level and moved onto the next without a waiting period, as found in a course driven program.

Before opening a British Swim School, Rita Goldberg was a national swimmer in Britain, who went on to become a dedicated swim instructor. Goldberg found great success after opening her own private swim school in 1981 in the basement of a Victorian house in Manchester, England. Nearly 10 years later, Rita set out to bring the business model that she spent decades perfecting to American families. Coming to the United States with one suitcase and less than $3,000 to her name, Rita opened her first indoor swimming school in Coral Springs, Fla. in 1993 and began implementing programs in rented pool facilities.

About British Swim School

For more than 33 years, British Swim School has been dedicated to teaching water survival skills to children as young as three months old. The company currently operates within 24 territories, across 70 pools in eight states and first launched a franchise program in October 2011 as part of its strategic national growth initiative. Based in Coral Springs, Florida, British Swim School uses a revolutionary water survival program that is gentle and fun to teach children three months old and older the most important water survival skill, the ability to float on their back. For more information about British Swim School and franchise opportunities, visit www.franchise.britishswimschool.com.

Contact: 

Alicia Ogierman
Fishman Public Relations
847-945-1300
aogierman@fishmanpr.com

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